Year 1916

Diary for Sunday, February 13, 1916: Southern Fronts Albania: Bulgar First Army takes Elbasan. Western Front Champagne: German success between Tahure and Somme-py; French counter­attacks fail on February 14-16. Vosges­: […]

Diary for Saturday, February 12, 1916: African Fronts East Africa – Action at Salaita Hill (8 miles from Taveta): Major Kraut’s 1,320 German soldiers (43 casualties) repulse Malleson‘s 6,000 British

Diary for Friday, February 11, 1916: Home Fronts Britain: BEF GHQ orders 40 Mk I tanks, Lieutenant-Colonel Swinton increases order to 100 (appointed commander of Machine-Gun Corps unit for crews

Diary for Thursday, February 10, 1916: Air War Britain: Air defence responsibilities reallocated: demarcation line fixed at the coast; Army/RFC supplant RN/RNAS inland. Army to ‘also provide the aeroplanes required

Diary for Wednesday, February 9, 1916: Air War Britain: 2 German seaplanes from Zeebrugge drop 13 bombs on Broadstairs and Ramsgate (3 wounded); 18 defending aircraft ascend. Eastern Front Pripet

Diary for Tuesday, February 8, 1916: Sea War Eastern Mediterranean: French cruiser Admiral Chamer (374 drowned, only 1 survivor) sunk in 4 minutes by U21 (Hersing) off Beirut, but otherwise

Diary for Monday, February 7, 1916: Air War Western Front: No 24 Squadron (Major Hawker, VC) first RFC single-seater fighter squadron reaches France (No 29 on March 25; No 32

Diary for Sunday, February 6, 1916: Air War Western Front: Immelmann flies 3­-gun Fokker E IV in combat. Western Front Somme: French attacks on Vache Wood and Signal (Frise), recaptured

Diary for Saturday, February 5, 1916: Western Front BEF Fourth Army (Rawlinson) formed. Middle East Mesopotamia: Turks begin redoubts east of Kut. Armenia: Black Sea squadron aids General Lyakov to

Diary for Friday, February 4, 1916: Sea War Black Sea: Goeben carries Turk troops to Trebizond (until January 7). Middle East Mesopotamia: New Kut relief plan approved. African Fronts South

Diary for Thursday, February 3, 1916: Air War Western Front: Future French ‘ace’ Guynemer destroys 2 LVGs (his 4th and 5th victories) above Roye, is commissioned to 2nd Lieutenant in

Diary for Wednesday, February 2, 1916: Secret War Britain: Kitchener calls ‘Mother’ tank ‘a pretty mechanical toy’ on seeing trials with Lloyd George, but reports to War committee following day

Diary for Tuesday, February 1, 1916: Western Front Verdun: Major-General Beeg, commander of the artillery of the German Fifth Army, informs Falkenhayn that all 1,220 additional guns (including 13 Big

Diary for Monday, January 31, 1916: Air War Britain: First German airship raid on the Midlands by 9 Zeppelins (night January 31-February 1) sporadic and off course, Liverpool not reached

Diary for Sunday, January 30, 1916: Home Fronts Britain: War Savings Committees begun. France: BEF arrest Attorney-General F E Smith for visiting Churchill’s HQ without a pass. He, Bonar Law

Diary for Saturday, January 29, 1916: Secret War Britain: Mother prototype tank begins successful trials. Western Front Somme: German Second Army success northeast of Dampierre. Eastern Front Alexeiev (Russian Chief

Diary for Friday, January 28, 1916: Eastern Front Russia: Prince Lvov and the Mayor of Moscow visit General Alexeiev; Army morale much improved but hardly an able officer above regiment

Diary for Thursday, January 27, 1916: Western Front Flanders and Artois: German attacks at Loos and Neuville-St Vaast. Argonne: Mining and counter-mining activity. Verdun: Falkenhayn‘s final orders for Operation ‘Gericht’,

Diary for Wednesday, January 26, 1916: Southern Fronts Falkenhayn orders Gallwitz to prepare attack across Greek frontier; despite Bulgar protests Germans stock shells at Veles, but single-line railway overstrained. African

Diary for Tuesday, January 25, 1916: Middle East Armenia: Russian battalion seizes key Kargapazar (‘Crow Bazaar’) Ridge (c.9750 ft); 15 miles northeast of Erzerum. Whole 4th Caucasus Rifle Division concen­trates